Ridiculous Crime

Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientific minds of all time. So of course people wanted to study his brain after he died. One man, though, wanted the brain more than anyone else. His career-ruining obsession with the genius noggin drove him to commit a ridiculous crime and culminated in a bizarre cross-country road-trip with an exasperated journalist. Intent on delivering the pilfered body part to Einstein’s granddaughter, the duo proved that everything is indeed relative.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sports-loving jokester with a desire to be seen by the masses, Barry Bremen fraudulently made his way into some of the biggest sporting and entertainment events of the 70s and 80s. It's one thing to dress up as a ref at a game, quite another to accept an award on stage meant for someone else. Will Barry's lust for the limelight take him a little too far?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody loved Nick Perry. The host of “Bowling for Dollars” was Pittsburgh famous for his loud suits and friendly demeanor. But that wasn’t enough. Nick Perry made a big money move — he rigged the Pennsylvania lottery. Only problem was that he also crossed the mob. That never ends well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you have an interesting accent and know how to act fancy, you can get away with a lot. Margaret Lydia Burton used that fact to her advantage, moving from town to town, conning people and living well. She thought she'd settled down to begin a life of skimming enormous amounts of money from a medical clinic and spending it on...show dogs. But people got wise, so Burton got moving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rita Crundwell seemed like a simple woman. As a kid, she liked 4H, horses, and country living. She grew up to work in City Hall in her small hometown of Dixon, Illinois. For decades, though, this all-American product of the heartland had a secret. She was cooking the town's books, embezzling millions, and lying to everyone she knew to pay for her lavish, pony-loving lifestyle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two major league baseball stars walk into a bar. Well, a nightclub. Either way, chaos ensues. But since it's Jose and Ozzie Canseco, that chaos is awesome. And they didn't stop there. Special guest Travis Dutton, a major Oakland A's/Canseco fan, joins the RC crew for this one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Joseph was a lot of things: accountant, school teacher, author, US Marine, postal worker, private investigator, music manager, health food purveyor, mayor, pirate, polygamist, cult leader. He loved living just outside the law, amassing wives (some of questionable age) and squatting on government land. And unlike many of the ridiculous criminals profiled, he managed to stay one step ahead of the law until his last breath.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aspiring artist Arno Funke, aka Dagobert, just wanted to make a living doing what he loved. And he did, for a time, because in addition to art he loved bombs and extortion plots, and weird contraptions. His antics captivated a nation and made for great headlines, but those kind of capers just can't last. Luckily, the artist in him prevailed and he was able to delight and captivate the public in a legal way after all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Christmas in July! Start drafting those letters to Santa — that's just how John Duval Gluck would have wanted it. He scammed the wealthy of New York society into doing good for poor kids, sending the kids gifts from Santa himself. Until one man asked to see the receipts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, an erstwhile Baron smuggled glass eyes into Hoboken, until he was busted by customs. He later petitioned to officially change his name to reflect his status as the illegitimate son of a Viscount. When he told the romantic and rather dubious tale of his parentage in court? Not a dry eye in the house.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.